Panang curry waffle fries with soft tofu? Did I dream this?





 Spring is in the air. Baseball spring training is underway,  people are starting to get Covid vaccines, and restaurants are either re-opening with some indoor seating, or opening for the first time. 

One of those places is El Muchacho Alegre, 111 Airport Way, Renton. The location, built as a burger joint in the 1950's, has gone through many incarnations. It was most recently a hookah bar, before that a Bangladeshi restaurant, before that Vietnamese, and had a long run as Lermond's, a diner-like place.

El Muchacho Alegre opened a couple of weeks ago. 
I often like to wait a couple of weeks before trying a new restaurant, to give them a chance to work out the kinks. But this time, we went on their second night of business. I like seafood, and I like Mexican food, and the place is close by. 
Anyway, the place is good, and they had their act together even on the second night of business. They make a green salsa that is served with warm chips, that is both flavorful and quite hot. Along with the chips and hot green salsa, they also bring complementary fish ceviche, which is very tasty.
The fish tacos are great, as is the grilled filet. The Caldo de Siete Mares, a seafood soup, is satisfying and fresh. The pasta dish served with shrimp and mussels is a huge, delicious portion. 
I like the place.

Up the hill on Sunset is The Brick Kitchen+ Lounge, 1190 NE Sunset Blvd E, Renton.
The Brick used to be the Brick Pub and Grill, but that closed after a several year run. It was sold, and remained closed for a while during the pandemic, and after a remodel and a brand new menu, it is now open. It's really good! The menu is not huge, and it's primarily Asian fusion/bar food. They have something they call Panang Poutine. It's waffle fries, topped with sauteed green and red peppers, Panang curry gravy, and soft tofu. Sounds weird? It's not. It's insane in the membrane good. Addictive.
And vegan!
You can also get a burger there, or chicken wings, as well as Curry salmon, fried calamari, and brussel sprouts! It's friendly, there's lots of social distancing, it's not especially expensive, and the food's good. There's a good beer selection, and it would be even better if 1 or 2 of the 16 beers on tap were brewed in Renton, home of 3 good breweries. I like the place a lot. It's a fairly small menu, but the food!
On the Freakazoid Freddy Yumometer scale, the Brick is right up there, a delicious blend of bar food/Asian fusion/seafood. If I lived closer, I'd move in

In the same complex as the Brick is the newly opened Kim Phoung vegetarian restaurant.(1190 NE Sunset Blvd, Renton.) I've heard good things about it, but haven't yet been there. We were planning to, about a week ago, but when we got to the parking lot, I started immediately Jonesing for the Panang Curry waffle fries next door at the Brick, and the Brick won out that time.  I am a vegetarian/pescetarian, and I like Vietnamese food, so I'm sure I'll get there soon enough.

They've been having a soft opening at Salty Blue, 601 S 3rd St, Renton.  It's  an Aussie style fish and chips place. It's to go only at this point, but the fish is great and the fries top notch.

A couple of  doors down from Salty Blue, with the same address, is Rice N'Curry, an Indian place. I tried it, and liked it. There was some to-do made online about the similarity in names between it and the nearby Naan N'Curry. They're quite different, and I like them both. Naan N'Curry is spectacular, one of the best Indian/South Asian restaurants in the Seattle area. Rice N'Curry is faster service, less expensive, and quite good but not spectacular like the folks down the block. 
Sometimes you just want a quick, good meal. Rice N' Curry has that.  They're friendly and good. I'll be back.


At the DK Market (7th and Lind Ave SW, Renton, they've temporarily run out of my favorite chocolate bar, the Ulker 60% Dark with pistachios. It's from Turkey, and it's so, so good.



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